Italian Student Visa Packet Consulate General of Italy in Houston This consulate is for students whose zip codes fall under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Houston. Your assignment is based on your home or school zip code from your SU Abroad application. If you have questions regarding your consulate assignment, please contact Gael Noyes. Read this packet in its entirety and all instructions. Before you begin: Ensure you have a passport valid for at least six months after your program ends. Ensure you will not need your passport before the program starts. Note: If you will need your passport before the start of the program, we cannot guarantee you will receive your visa in time and you may need to apply independently. Contact Gael Noyes immediately to verify your eligibility for the group submission process. Visa application due date: Monday October 17, 2016 Main contacts: Gael Noyes, Florence Admissions Counselor 315-443-0252, gknoyes@syr.edu Do not send anything directly to the consulate. Send or bring all materials to: SU Abroad ATTN: Italy visas 106 Walnut Place Syracuse, NY 13210 Students with European Union citizenship traveling with their EU passport do not need a visa. Full year students: If there is any chance that you may decide to stay in Italy for a second semester with our program, you should get a visa to cover both semesters in advance. If you do not, you will have to return to the US during the break and apply for a new visa for the spring semester. Please contact Gael Noyes regarding this matter.
Rules for Submitting Your Italian Visa Application: 1. All documents must be submitted/postmarked by the deadline, sent in one package. 2. All documents must be printed single-sided. 3. Do not use any staples, paper clips, glue, or tape on any portion of your application. 4. All forms with handwritten sections must be legible and written in black or blue ink. 5. All photos, photocopies, and scans must be clear and easy to read. 6. You may print and photocopy in black and white or color. 7. You may use the forms provided in this packet or you can download them from your SU Abroad Portal. 8. Make copies of all documents for your records and reference. Remember especially to keep a copy of the ID page of your passport. 9. Send applications through a courier service (FedEx or UPS) as the US Postal Service (USPS) may take up to two days longer to reach the SU Abroad office 10. Make sure your passport is signed! 2
Checklist of Required Visa Documents The following documents must be uploaded to your SU Abroad Portal: A scan of the ID page of your official passport Confirmed round-trip flight itinerary The following documents must be mailed or brought to SU Abroad: Official SIGNED passport One official passport photo Italian visa application form Official bank letter and (if applicable) notarized affidavit of support Money Order amount will be available after October 1 International students: a copy of your I-20 form or Green Card (both sides) Pre-Paid UPS label Note: What is a Notary? You will notice a few documents require notarization. A notary is a person authorized to perform legal formalities; in this case, authorization of a signature on an official document. This tells the consulate that it has been legally confirmed that YOU signed the document before him/her. You can find notaries at most banks. SU Abroad has a notary. You can make an appointment on the SU Abroad website. Remember to keep a copy of all documents for your records! 3
UPLOAD: ID Page of Your Official Passport You are required to provide a copy of the identification page of your passport. Please scan and upload a copy of this page to your SU Abroad Portal. Ensure the copy is clear and legible and you can clearly view all numbers and letters. Please see the sample on the right. Please be sure that your passport is signed on the page opposite your photograph and check again that your passport is valid for at least six months after your program ends. UPLOAD: Confirmed Round-Trip Flight Itinerary To obtain a visa, students must provide proof of exit from the country. You must provide confirmation that you have purchased a round-trip ticket to Italy and out the Schengen area (explanation on the following page). Upload a copy of the flight confirmation from the airline, agent or travel agency. This must include all legs of your flight and confirmation that you purchased the flight. If you are traveling on the group flight and/or booking your flight through Advantage Travel, please inform Gael Noyes via email and Advantage Travel will send SU Abroad all confirmed itineraries. Please ensure that you purchase this flight before the visa deadline. If you have questions regarding group flights, call Advantage Travel (315-471-2222). You are responsible for researching whether you need a visa for any independent travel before, during or after the program. International students are strongly advised to check tourist visa requirements thoroughly as there may be restrictions. 4
What is the Schengen Area? The Schengen Area includes the countries listed below. You will be able to travel freely in these countries within the dates of your program and/or visa. Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland Germany Greece Hungary Iceland (not EU) Italy Latvia Liechtenstein (not EU) Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway (not EU) Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland (not EU) 5
MAIL: Your Official Passport The consulate requires your official passport in order to place the visa inside as a permanent page. This visa confirms the official approval of your stay in your host country and is required for any student not of European Union citizenship. If you do not have a passport or your passport will expire within six months of your program ending, apply for or renew your passport immediately! SU Abroad strongly recommends that you have your passport application expedited to ensure your new passport arrives in time to apply for your visa with the group. Applications for passports and passport renewal can be found online at Travel.State.Gov. Once you have applied for your passport, contact Gael Noyes and immediately begin working on the remainder of your visa application and submit it to SU Abroad by the published deadline. Do not fill out ANY passport information, we will fill that in when your new passport arrives. Add a note with your submitted documents detailing the date you submitted your passport application. Once you receive your new passport, do not forget to sign it before sending it to SU Abroad. MAIL: One Official Passport Photo The consulate requires a separate photo to create your visa. This does not need to be the same photo in your passport. You may have official passport photos taken at various copy centers, drugstores and other stores (i.e., CVS) for a fee. The photo should be 1.77 inches by 1.37 inches and feature only you in front of a white background. You may not take the photo yourself. Only send one photo with your visa application, but keep the extra photos and bring them with you to Italy. Please write your name clearly on the back of the photo. Please see the sample at left. 6
MAIL: Visa Application Form You must submit a paper application for your visa. Please fill out the application based on the sample provided on the following pages. Fill out each page exactly as it is filled out on the sample with your appropriate information. There are two signatures required on this application and you must complete both for the application to be complete. You should have downloaded a blank application when you downloaded this packet. If you did not, please click here or in your log into your SU Abroad Portal. Please refer to this page when answering questions 25, 29 and 30 of your visa application. Number of Days for Spring 17 (question 25) Question 25: Program SU Florence Center (includes Architecture, Design, Engineering, Studio Arts) SU Florence Center (includes Architecture, Design, Engineering, Studio Arts)+ Greek Odyssey Seminar + Eco City Europe SU Florence Center & Intensive Language Program at the University of Florence SU Florence Center & Intensive Language Program at the University of Florence + Greek Odyssey Seminar + Eco City Europe Direct enrollment at University of Florence (courses taught in Italian) Number of Days 108 days 119 days 117 days 111 days 123 days 121 days 157 days Program Dates for Spring 17 (questions 29 and 30) Question 29: Program Arrival Date Intensive Language Arrive January 7, 2017 All programs Arrive January 10, 2016 Question 30: Program Departure Date SU Florence Center (includes Architecture, Design, Engineering, Studio Arts) Depart April 27, 2017 SU Florence (includes Architecture, Design, Engineering, Studio Arts) + Greek Odyssey Seminar + Eco City Europe Direct enrollment at University of Florence (courses in Italian) exact date TBD Depart May 9, 2017 Depart May 7, 2017 Depart June 15, 2017 7
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MAIL: Bank Letter (Proof of Financial Means) The consulate requires proof that you have financial means to reside in Florence by presenting the consulate with an original, signed bank letter from a US bank or financial institution. SU Abroad cannot waive or alter this requirement. All students must provide documentation of their funding. See the requirements below and sample bank letter on the following page. If you are unable to provide proof of the required amount, you may submit a bank letter in a parent or guardian s name supporting you. If you wish to do this, the account holder must complete the Affidavit of Support on page 14, have it notarized and submit it with your visa materials. Please note you may only use the Affidavit of Support provided for you in this packet. You may not use a form from another jurisdiction as they are different. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Gael Noyes. You may also submit a financial aid letter from your university as long as it meets the requirements detailed below. The letter should be signed by your financial aid office, and must show clearly that you have at least $4,000 available, after all your fees are deducted. No screenshot will be allowed. Statements from retirement accounts, 401k and stock portfolios are NOT accepted by the Italian consulates in lieu of a bank letter. Accessible amounts required: Semester students: $4,000 Academic year students: $8,000 Fine Arts Graduate students: $12,000 **NOTE: Some programs vary in length. If your program is longer than four or eight months, you will need to add $1,000 per month to the amount. The format of the letter is basic, but should convey the following: YOU (the student) OR the specified person in support of the student are the account holder The specified funds are present in your account at the time the letter is generated Guidelines for the bank letter: The document must come from a United States bank or financial institution. Letter(s) must be original. Copies, scans, emails, and faxes are unacceptable. Letter(s) must be on the bank or school original letterhead and have a signature of a representative. Electronic signatures are unacceptable. Bank statements are unacceptable. Letter(s) must be dated as close to the visa deadline as possible. You may combine two accounts from different institutions to reach your required amount. 12
United States Bank of Syracuse 123 Main Street Syracuse, NY 13210 April 15, 2016 To The Honorable Italian Consulate General: This letter certifies that the title of the following accounts reflects [your name here] as an account holder. The above mentioned balance(s) is accurate as of [today s date]. Sincerely, John Doe Bank Teller and Customer Service Representative (315) 555-2252 John.Doe@USBS.com 13
AFFIDAVIT To: Consolato Generale d Italia 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 660 Houston, Texas 77056 Date I, the undersigned, born in on residing at Depose and say: that I will take financial responsibility for my Son /daughter /wife / husband/parents : Name and Last name regarding all the expenses which he/she may incur during his/her stay in Italy. Last name, First name: (print name) Signature U.S. Notary Public Signature and Seal: 14
MAIL: Money Order Applicants are required to pay a processing fee in the form of a personal money order made out to Consulate General of Italy, 1300 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 660, Houston, TX 77056 Note that we will get the new visa fee on October 1 and will send out an email with the exact amount after this date. Do not purchase your money order until after we have contacted you with the exact amount. Please make sure you write your name, home address and phone number on your money order. You can purchase one at your local U.S. post office, in a bank, or at the offices of Money Gram, Western Union or Currency Exchange. Some pharmacies may also sell money orders. Any alteration to the money order (i.e. Whiteout) will render it unacceptable. DATE $ Write amount in words CONSULATE GENERAL OF ITALY 1300 POST OAK BLVD, SUITE 660 HOUSTON, TX 77056 ITALIAN VISA PROCESS YOUR NAME YOUR ADDRESS YOUR PHONE NUMBER 15
MAIL: Pre-Paid UPS Label You must provide SU Abroad with a pre-paid UPS label in order to have your passport and visa returned to you. You do not need to provide SU Abroad with an envelope, just the label. Following are directions on how to create one. The label is available for printing for 24 hours. If you do not have immediate access to a printer, you can save the label as a PDF file and print it later. 1. Go to www.ups.com and select the New User tab. Complete the sections if you do not have a UPS account: a. Contact name: your first and last name b. Email: the email you will check regularly c. User ID (create one) d. Passport (create one) e. Technology Agreement f. Terms and Conditions: Agree 2. Enter your new profile information a. The address must be your home/permanent address OR where you will be during the academic break. Please ensure that this is a secure location with someone available to sign for the package 3. Communication preferences: Select your own options. Click Create a shipment. 4. Where is this Shipment Going? a. Select Address Book b. Select profile address 5. Where is this Shipment Coming From? a. Select Edit b. Company or Name: SU Abroad c. Contact: Gael Noyes d. Address Line 1: 106 Walnut Place e. City: Syracuse f. State: NY g. Zip Code: 13210 h. Telephone: 315-443-0252 i. Email: gknoyes@syr.edu j. Click Update 6. What are you shipping? a. Select UPS Letter 7. How would you like to ship? a. Service: UPS 2 nd Day Air or UPS Next Day Air b. Select Send email notifications c. DO NOT select Deliver without signature 16
8. Would you like to add a reference number to this shipment? a. Leave this section blank 9. How would you like to pay? a. Select Use Another Payment Card b. Enter your credit card information c. Specify your billing address 10. Would you like to schedule a pickup? a. Leave this section blank 11. Review that the information is correct, and make sure that box is checked for Review Shipping details, including price, before completing this shipment 12. Click Next 13. Enter any email address(es) you d like to be notified upon shipment, and a personal email message if desired (e.g., John Smith s passport ) 14. Click Next 15. Review the shipping information and click Ship Now if correct 16. Print or save the label. IMPORTANT: Although we will do everything in our power to help you locate a missing package, SU Abroad cannot be responsible for shipments that are wrongfully delivered or lost by UPS. It is UPS policy to require a signature for a package unless otherwise instructed and to leave packages in a secure location. However, we unfortunately have no control over individual drivers and whether they adhere to UPS policy. SU Abroad recommends that you track your package when you are notified that your passport has been sent. If you have special requirements for delivery (a specific door, ringing the doorbell, etc.), these must be addressed by you as the customer with UPS. For greater control over how your UPS shipment is delivered, please consider signing up for the UPS My Choice service. You can receive alerts regarding the package and can provide further instructions how you would like the package delivered (leave inside a side door, reschedule, bring to a different address, etc.). Read about this service here: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/bussol/browse/personal/delivery_options/my_choi ce.html. To sign up, use this link: http://www.ups.com/mychoice/welcome.html Please contact UPS Customer Service at 800-PICK-UPS (800-742-5877) with your tracking number if you have questions about the delivery of your package or to file a claim for a missing package. You may also file a claim from your online account. 17